Wanted Dead, Alive, or Back Home
by LokeyL
Summary: Team Natsu and the rest of Fairy Tail are happy to be done with the Grand Magic Games. Finally, no one trying to take over the world. Hopefully. Now life is back to normal, until Lucy suddenly leaves for reasons unknown. Everyone will do what it takes to get her back. Especially Natsu, because she's his nakama. But some people are starting to suspect it's more than that...
1. Prologue!

Wanted Dead, Alive, or Back Home

A NaLu FanFiction

I guess you can call this the prologue. Not much, but I hope you'll like it, I guess. Plus, I've always wanted these two to get together. But waiting for them to do it in the real anime/manga is so boring. Especially when it's implied so much! I mean, jeez. And a lot of the FanFics I've read so far are captivating, but…have no other plot. I wanted to change that.

Sincerely,

Me

Disclaimer: As much as I want to have it, I don't own Fairy Tail or anything related to the anime/manga. Unfortunately, it all belongs to the esteemed Hiro Mashima.

* * *

Prologue

She walked down the ledge overlooking the river, the men in the boat cautioning her to be careful as always.

"Miss Lucy! Careful not to fall in, alright?"

"Alright, and thank you, but I already told you guys I'm not falling in."

"You never know, Miss Lucy. Bye!"

"Bye! See you tomorrow!"

Those men had been harassing her about not falling in for ages, and after watching the Daimato Enbou and realizing she was finally back after being away for seven years, they had gone right back to harassing her again. She was busy facing the most powerful dark wizard to ever exist, but they didn't need to know that.

Lucy Heartfilia finally reached her apartment. She looked up at it fondly, ready for a nice hot bath and relaxation. She even smiled as she opened the door, happy that the tiring games were finally over. Hopefully all the excitement and danger in her life might die down for a bit.

"WELCOME HOME, LUCY!"

Then again, maybe not.

* * *

Hope you guys liked it. I KNOW, I KNOW, it seems pretty lame. But I PROMISE I'll make it better. And more…umm...suspenseful and… interesting. I have a pretty big idea in my head that I like and I think you guys will like it too.

Not gonna ask you guys to review (just going to imply it-lol) unless you want to suggest something.

It's up to you whether you want to or not and if you have any suggestions then review anyways (as mentioned earlier) or PM me.

I'm so ashamed of writing such a terrible prologue. But read the next chapter, tell me what you think, and then I'll decide whether I should go on.

**Bye!**


	2. Chapter 1: After-Party

I'm back.

(GASP)

I know ya missed me. ;)

Just kidding. I'm a stranger and my prologue was terrible.

Sorry that the prologue was super short and bad, I kind of want to fix it but I'm deciding to ignore it and just pretend like the story starts at chapter one. Sorry, I don't mean to run away from my problems. I usually don't.

Enjoy chapter one! Hope you like it better than the prologue.

* * *

Chapter One: The After-Party

"WHAT ARE ALL OF YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE?!" screamed Lucy.

"Relax, Lucy. We decided to come to your house because we wanted to surprise you and have fun. And quite frankly, your house is very cozy," replied Erza.

"And you decided to do this without my permission?! Or walking with me?!"

"But you were walking so slowly," Natsu whined. "And we like surprising you."

"Well I don't!" Lucy screeched, sitting down next to Wendy, who was naturally very embarrassed and guilty-looking.

"We're sorry, Lucy-sama. Natsu-san suggested we celebrate with you here and I agreed. I didn't mean to scare you. I'm very sorry."

"Oh, don't be silly Wendy. I know you'd never mean to do something like this, it's not your fault. Now these three," added Lucy, glaring at Natsu, Gray, and Erza. "Are a different story."

"Hey, we were just trying to do something nice," complained Gray, already stripped, while Happy cried over not being apart of 'the different stories.'

Lucy sighed. They were just trying to be nice, and why not celebrate their comeback as Fiore's strongest guild? Sure, they celebrated earlier, but that was just a minor celebration at a local bar. It was nice to cool down a little and enjoy their victory together without having the owners of the bar yelling at them and making them pay for everything they destroyed.

So they 'had fun,' as Erza put it, all of them, Lucy, Natsu, Gray, Erza, Happy, Wendy, and Carla. Lucy finally got to take her hot bath, and was rudely interrupted by Natsu and Gray, who didn't know that she was taking a bath and thought she went missing. The same happened with Erza, who was staying the night along with Wendy. Thankfully, Wendy learned from their mistakes and told everyone she was taking a bath. Although, Happy attempted to peek when he learned Carla was taking a bath too. He was caught by Lucy and Erza, who were protecting Wendy's privacy just in case. Needless to say, all three men (or, two men and one male cat) were unconscious and piled outside by the time the four girls went to bed.

The next morning, Team Natsu walked to their guild together, Natsu, Gray, and Happy all grumbling at the girls. When they got there, Natsu kicking open the door as usual, everyone who was already there roared in enjoyment.

"They were waiting for Team Natsu to come to officially get the party started. Gajeel, Juvia, and Laxus are already here," Mirajane said to them, smiling as she cleaned a cup from behind the bar.

Suddenly, a barrel came flying and hit Natsu in the face. Natsu roared and yelled, "WHO DID THAT?!" and punched Gray in the face.

"I WAS RIGHT NEXT TO YOU, I OBVIOUSLY DIDN'T DO IT MORON!" yelled Gray, punching him back. They immediately engaged in a fight, calling each other names and trying to kill each other. They rolled over and eventually reached the other guild members, who unwillingly got into the fight as well. Erza chuckled, a plate of strawberry cake magically appearing in front of her. Out of nowhere, a chair slammed into the back of her head, driving her face into her cake and ruining it. If she hadn't been shaking with rage, the cake on her face would have been funny. But as it was, Erza was Erza. And no one got away with it after ruining her chance of eating her prized strawberry cake. She strolled into the battle murderously and it got consideably louder and rowdier inside the guild. Not to mention much more dangerous. Lucy and Wendy, who had moved close to the door in case they needed to make a run for it, suddenly heard it open. They looked over to see a girl about Lucy's age standing in the doorway and grinning. She had light brown hair that somehow looked soft in the sunlight. It ended in natural-looking curls at her shoulders. She had a very pretty white top, with a blue cross on it and flowers and other designs on the sides. It looked like Elie's top (if you guys know who that is). Then she had cute shorts that Lucy noted both accented her top and showed off her amazing legs and knee-high brown boots. She had a light tan and her features…well, even Mirajane would have been jealous had she seen her. And her eyes! They were all… kaleidoscope-y. Green and blue and golden… Lucy read about people with kaleidoscope eyes, but they were fiction books and she didn't think people with those eyes actually _existed_.

"Quite an…eccentric bunch, you Fairies are, huh?" asked the stranger. Her voice was soft and melodious. But it also sounded…guarded. And sad. Like she had a lot of secrets. And they weren't very innocent. Lucy stared at the mysterious person, feeling…_ intrigued_. Normally she would have greeted the girl with a smile asked her what she was there for. Instead, Lucy followed her feelings of curiosity, almost in a trance. Wendy looked up at her curiously.

"What's your name?"

"Scarlet," responded the girl, still grinning mischievously.

"…Scarlet what?"

"Scarlet Aki, Lucy Heartfilia."

"You know my name?"

"Everyone who has the slightest interest in Fairy Tail or saw the Grand Magic Games does, Lucy Hearfilia,"

The double use of her full name made Lucy even more interested, somehow. "What…what are you here for?" She blinked, still stuck in a trance, and seemed to be going in deeper.

"Why, I'm here for the reason everyone else comes here. To join the strongest guild in the country."

* * *

So? So? SO?!

How was it?! I really want to put some stuff in, but I guess it can wait 'till the next chapter.

I know, I said this one would be more interesting.

…Technically, I didn't lie, and MAN do I use …'s a lot in this chapter.

But the next chapter, to give you a heads up, will be even more interesting.

I hope. It's just my opinions. Stop teasing me! Jerks!

Hehe. Just kidding.

Review or PM if you have any suggestions. I'd like to hear criticism, actually, because I'm a spoiled brat and it seems I don't get enough of that in life.

Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 2: The New Girl

Heyyy! Guess what?

This is chapter two!

Um, hello? This is the part where you clap and cheer?

No? Fine.

Enjoy!

And WOW I forgot to put my disclaimer in the last chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or anything related to the anime/manga. That honor belongs to Hiro Mashima (jerk!).

Chapter Two: The New Girl

"You want to… what?!"

"Um, Lucy? Join the guild, remember? I just said it two seconds ago."

"Uh-uh-oh-okay. Um, if you could just wait and I'll, um, go get Master…"

"Sure."

"Alright…" the confused celestial spirit mage murmured, scurrying away. Truth be told, she wanted to stay and watch the interesting newcomer, but that would have been a _little _bit awkward. She remembered the girl's name. '_Scarlet Aki_,' Lucy whispered. She liked it. But where had she heard that before? '_Scarlet…Scarlet…Er…Erza Scarlet!_' she finally remembered, snapping out of her trance._ 'That's right; my friends. I can't believe I almost forgot about them, just over some newbie who wants to join the guild,' _Lucy muttered to herself, feeling a bit guilty for forgetting about her faithful friends, but at the same time still feeling mystified by Scarlet. Troubled over her feelings, she went off to get Master.

Meanwhile, a certain blue-haired girl was trying to make polite conversation with the newcomer.

"Um, so, what made you come to Fairy Tail, Miss Aki?"

"It's true, you really are that cute and polite. It's okay, you can just call me Scarlet or Aki. And it was because the guild has always interested me since I was little. All of the destruction they caused… it's not that I wanted to be destructive. One day, when I was nine, I saw Natsu, Happy, Gray, Erza, and Lucy go out and catch the robbers in my town. I thought they were being mean and destructive on purpose, but then I saw their faces. They weren't trying to be destructive. They were just… like that, honestly trying to help my town but destroying it a little in the process. And it made them happy, too, to be with their friends on a mission together. All that happiness, it made me happy…and I promised to myself that when I was older, I would join the most fun, wild, and happiest guild of them all. The guild of my dreams. Fairy Tail. Is Lucy always like that, by the way?"

Wendy, shocked by the sincere and endearing statement, answered, "Y-yes, Aki-san. I'm sorry, but it's easier to call you that because if I call you Scarlet it'll remind me too much of Erza-san. And n-no, Lucy-nee-san isn't always like that. In fact, this is the only time I've seen her like this with a newcomer." After realizing what she said, Wendy immediately felt curious. Why _had_ Lucy-san acted like that? Now that she thought about it, the air had tasted different when Aki came in, but she couldn't quite tell what it was and it probably wasn't important anyway.

"I see," said Aki, bemused.

"By the way, Aki-san, what kind of magic do you use?"

"Well, I-"

"Oh, hello, Ms. Scarlet. I hear you'd like to join?"

Aki blinked and look down at the little-old-man. "Yeah…and it's just Aki, I prefer that and I hear it's easier to call me that because it reminds others too much of Titania," she joked, winking at the blushing Wendy.

"Alright then, Aki. If you could come with me and I'll-"

"Who's this? A newcomer? She wanna join?!" asked Natsu, getting riled up.

"What? She wants to join? Who is she?" Gray added, standing up beside him.

"Quiet, both of you," Erza snapped, punching both men, leaving them growling with two new lumps on their already-sore heads. "Master? Is she joining?"

"Well, that's what-"

"Why don't you introduce yourself?" interrupted Natsu suddenly. He couldn't quite place the scent, but something was off about her. Not off, just…different.

"Alright then," agreed Aki, walking over and climbing up onto the stage. She introduced herself as Scarlet Aki, and told everyone the reason that she wanted to join Fairy Tail. The words were almost the same as the ones she told Wendy.

"I destroyed your town?" asked Natsu incredulously. "But I haven't done that in like, seven years-" he protested, earning a sharp punch from Erza.

"Yeah, but I doubt you'll remember the name. And Tenroujima, I know. It was on a few newspapers." replied Aki, almost wistfully.

The whole guild, who had been still and quiet ever since Natsu had first spoken, suddenly broke out in questions. Some of which were, "_Will you go out on a date with me?" _but most were more logical.

"SILENCE!" roared Master, growing as high as the roof would allow and looking down at his children sternly. "Now, it seems we all like Aki, and she is welcome to join our guild. However-"

"Jii-san?" interrupted Natsu for the umpteenth time.

The Master sighed, knowing he'd have to answer sooner or later. "Yes, Natsu?"

"I know you want to do all that boring stuff and question her, but I have an idea to let her join right now. Can I do it?"

Again, the Master sighed, knowing he'd have to agree. Although he'd_ never _admit it, he trusted Natsu's judgement. After all, he had brought Lucy to the guild, so she joined the day he brought her and she never did get judged by Master. "Sure, Natsu. What is it?" he questioned.

Natsu smiled, and turned to Aki, who was still on the stage. He pointed a finger at her and stated, "Fight me."

In answer, Aki just smiled.

So how was chapter number two? You'll be totally surprised to find out what happens in the next chapter. Actually, knowing my writing skills and I, you've probably already guessed it. So, nevermind.

I have to say, I'm actually kind of starting to like this story. It's even making _me_ excited for what's going to come next, and I'm the author.

For all of you NaLu fans screaming at me to get some NaLu in there, don't worry! NaLu moments are coming, and eventually there's going to be more and more NaLu until something totally sweet/romantic happens between our favorite characters. But for now, I wanted to put another plot in there. So if you're looking for a story that has outright NaLu and the only plot is Lucy and Natsu getting together, this story _proooobably_ isn't for you.

Now being more realistic, I don't have any fans.

Well, I have one follower. If that counts as a fan.

And I'd like to give a shout-out to him/her for being my first follower.

**Thanks, starcrossed68! Read your profile page, liked it a lot! Really awesome, and thanks for following.**

And now a shout-out to my first reviewer/criticizer:

**Thanks for your 'brutal honesty,' RoseyTosey!**

Review/PM if you have any suggestions, I'd love to read 'em.

Bye!


	4. Chapter 3: An Unexpected Attack

Your favorite author is back!

Oh please. I'm just trying to flatter myself.

Okay, so I came back to my home sweet home in the U.S., and I'm ready to write.

Not that anyone will care.

(Okay, now I'm being a bit mean to myself.)

I legitimately wrote and uploaded one prologue and two chapters without taking any breaks (well, okay, just once but it was to use the restroom). Then I was shipped back to the U.S. before I could finish writing this, so I thought, _' I have to make up for it somehow_.' Still, I think I went a liiiitle overboard.

But aghhhhhhhh! School starts tomorrow and I'm prepared and all, but I won't be able to update often. My sincere apologies to those of you who care.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or anything relating to the anime/manga. Hiro Mashima does, though, why not try asking him for more episodes?

* * *

Chapter Three: An Unexpected Attack

Every single person in the room felt their jaws drop down to the floor. Even the people who knew Natsu best and should have expected he'd do something like this.

Natsu himself was a little surprised as to why he said that. There was just something about this girl he found interesting. Unfortunately, as he was Natsu, he couldn't figure out just what about this girl was so interesting. All he was thinking was, '_Man I'm hungry. I wonder how this girl will do against me? But I reaaaaallllly want some food right now. I wonder if I can get Lucy to take me out when I'm done?'_

Everyone watched as Aki smiled at Natsu. Her teeth were white and perfect, and the smile was sincere, showing she meant yes.

She would fight Natsu.

Everyone crowded outside nervously, shifting from foot to foot. They were eager to see the battle, but then again, Natsu had never really fought with a girl who wasn't an enemy, except for Erza. She was the exception because everyone knew Natsu could never beat her. Now, with this newcomer, everyone was tenser. They didn't know how this slightly weak-looking girl fought or even which magic she fought with. In fact, some thought she couldn't even use magic and just pretended to do so in order to get into the guild. Others thought she wouldn't stand a chance against Natsu at all.

Lucy, however, had the feeling that this battle wouldn't go like everyone thought it would go like. She knew that something interesting was going to happen today. So instead of standing behind either Natsu or Aki like everyone else did, she leaned against the wall of the guild to watch them both. It was more dangerous, she knew, but it was worth it.

Aki had left her red cloak outside and grabbed and put it on. She hid her body with it, only leaving the hood down. She and Natsu stood about a few feet away from each other, getting ready to fight. Erza walked up to Natsu and murmured "Go easy on her, Natsu, we don't know anything about her,"

Natsu dismissed her with a wave of his hand and a "Yeah, yeah." He turned to Aki and stated, "You know I have no intention of going easy with you," earning a glare solid enough to kill from Erza. He ignored it, though, watching Aki's response instead.

Again, she smiled. "Good," she replied. "I was about to ask you not to. By the way, what happens if I win?"

A lot of the guild members snorted. Aki ignored them, though, and kept her eyes on Natsu.

"If you win… I don't know. What do you want?"

"To join your guild."

"Yeah, but you can still do that if you lose. As long as you fight well enough,"

"I only want to join if I win, though, so how about if I win, I join, and if I lose, I take you out to eat whatever you want?"

The entire guild groaned simultaneously. No way Natsu was losing now.

"Deal," he grinned, planning to invite her if-no, when, because he was definitely getting that food- she lost anyway.

"Well then," started Master, standing behind Natsu to get a better view of the mysterious Aki. "On my mark. 3…2…1…_GO_!" he shouted, and the fight began. Natsu and Aki advanced towards each other.

"IRON FIST OF THE FIRE DRAGON!" Shouted Natsu as he ran towards her, stretching out his hand to punch her. Suddenly, Aki was there. They had met halfway. Natsu drove his fist towards her face. Suddenly, there was a bright flash, and the entire guild gasped. Aki had intercepted his attack, putting up her bare arm to block his. They were in the same position, facing each other, their hands making an X. What else was so surprising? Natsu's flame had died upon meeting Aki's arm. And her arm didn't fall away. She stood her ground, looking at Natsu with her own fire in her eyes. It was like a fire of emotion; determination and respect shone brightly. And… again, her arm. It stood up to Natsu's strength. And while most people would have started bawling, pulling away their arm with third-degree burns, Aki's arm was both completely unscathed, unbroken, _ and_ not burned at all. Everyone stared. In unison, Natsu and Aki dropped their arms and resumed to fight in hand-to-hand combat. Aki was very, very good. They were intercepting or blocking the other's every attack, hitting so hard the skin should have been peeled off already. Not to mention Natsu's fists were on fire, which didn't seem to bother Aki at all.

"Is that the best hand-to-hand combat you can do, Natsu?" asked Aki quietly, but still loud enough for everyone to hear. She didn't sound haughty and wasn't acting like she was more powerful. She just asked Natsu that question honestly. He nodded in confusion.

"It's amazing. You're really strong," she said, still in that quiet voice. So far, no one had seen her use any magic.

"Uh, thanks. I guess," Natsu replied, still confused.

"Shall we end the battle?" Aki asked.

"I've been trying to do that since it began," Natsu told her. "I want me some food."

Aki smiled. "Let's end it then."

The battle resumed.

Natsu and Aki ran towards each other again. But Aki just dodged this time, instead of intercepting of blocking one of Natsu's blows. In a flash, she was behind his back, a knife to his throat. Everyone gaped. Time stood still. Natsu and Aki didn't even move, Natsu wondering what just happened. So far, nothing he did to her had touched her, and vice versa, but now he was at her mercy. Natsu roared in frustration, not wanting to give up because he really was hungry. Unfortunately, with the frustrated salamander's roar, came out fire. Powerful, hot fire directed straight at Lucy. Time, no longer still, seemed to slow down. Lucy had just enough time to put her hands up to her face. Aki saw the fire racing towards her, and moved.

Lucy blinked. It didn't hurt. Nothing hurt. Was she so used to seeing it in action and occasionally being burned by it she was now impervious to Natsu's flames? No, she was pretty sure that was impossible. No one was impervious to Natsu's flames except himself and apparently, Aki. Slowly, realizing that she was indeed unhurt and not just in shock, she lowered her hands and looked up. What she saw almost did make her go into shock.

Aki. It was Aki. With her back turned to Lucy. She had seen the fire coming and shot towards Lucy, taking the blow full on. Her arms and legs were spread out wide, trying to take as much of the fire as she could. She had taken all of it. In horror, Lucy realized that Aki's skin was red, and she was smoking. This time the fire _had_ affected Aki, but why? _Maybe she was unprepared when she rushed to save me…why did she even save me, a stranger to her? _Lucy thought, still in a bit of shock. Suddenly, Aki fell to the ground on her knees. Time had started going again. Natsu, Lucy, and everyone else, however, were still in shock and could only stare at one of the strongest women they'd ever seen.

"_Akiiiiiiiii!" _screamed Lucy, rushing forward to grab her. With Lucy's scream, everyone unfroze. The guild pressed forward, forming a circle as Aki wearily stood up again, ignoring Lucy's helping hand.

"I'm fine, you guys. Really. So, Natsu, I guess you got me there. Are we going to continue our battle or what? I can still get up," Aki questioned. Natsu was about to answer when Erza cut him off. "No Aki, Natsu very obviously lost to you, and foolishly let his frustration over losing some _food_ take over for a moment and almost hurt his friend. Go inside and rest in the infirmary, you look like you need it. I'll take care of _him_," Erza added to Natsu. He gulped.

"Actually, Erza, it's pretty late, and maybe Aki would like to go home,"

"Guys, I'm fine, _really_. And I don't have a home here in Magnolia, not yet anyway," added Aki, looking wistfully at Fairy Tail. "I sleep in a run-down motel, I don't have much money yet so that's all I can afford and I don't want to take advantage of your hospitality."

"Nonsense," dismissed Erza. "You go inside and-"

"She can come home with me."

Erza looked at Lucy.

"She did just save me from becoming burnt to a crisp. It's the least I can do to repay her," Lucy pointed out. What was she doing? She had screamed Aki's name out earlier like she cared about Aki. Like they were already friends. She had just met her a while ago! And now here she was, inviting a stranger to her house?! Yet, she found she didn't mind. Lucy was interested by Aki, and now she had a chance to thank her for saving her and ask her about it.

"Are you sure, Lucy?" asked Aki.

"Yep!" replied Lucy cheerfully. And who knows? Maybe she and Aki would become friends after all.

"Okay then, I guess."

"Wait." Master said sharply. All heads turned to look at him.

"Aki, come with me, please." He walked over to the corner of the Fairy Tail building, out of earshot from everyone else. Aki, confused but not wanting to disobey, followed him.

Everyone watched as they had a short discussion.

Meanwhile, Natsu wandered up to Lucy, looking sheepish. "I'm sorry, Luce. I didn't mean to do that; it really just came out," He chuckled a bit and looked to her with begging eyes, trying to make her understand he didn't mean it.

"It's fine, Natsu," Lucy replied with a smile, "I didn't even get hurt. But considering someone else did, I'm not the only one you should be apologizing to." She nodded at Aki.

"Right…" Natsu said. They waited in an awkward silence until Master and Aki had finished their conversation and walked back to the guild, Aki smiling a little.

"I have decided," began Master, "That Aki is allowed to join the guild. She can get her guild mark tomorrow, after having a good night's sleep." There was a small outburst of cheers from the guild members following these statements, and Aki looked up gratefully and smiled.

"And for those of you who are wondering, Aki _can_ use magic. It's up to her whether she decides to talk about it or use it," Master continued, raising an eyebrow. "Though I understand she is quite good with a knife. Aki, can you hit that little crack in the side of the wall?" he asked suddenly, pointing to a crack a good twenty feet away. Not to mention it was facing Aki diagonally, so it would be almost impossible to hit. A flash of silver light was reflected into everyone's eyes by the setting sun. Aki tilted her head and stared at the crack thoughtfully, then grinned answered "Yes, I think I can." Someone gasped as they all looked at the crack again. There was a dagger buried up to its hilt sticking out of it.

"Er… Aki, I'm really sorry…" Natsu murmured, coming forward, looking guilty. He completely ignored the others gasping "How did she do that…what?" and continued. "I know I shoulda been more careful and calm. Otherwise, I woulda seen Lucy there and not have hurt you."

"It's alright, Natsu," replied Aki with a bright smile. She was full of smiles now. "I know you didn't mean it, and I'm sorry too, for going over-board. I wasn't actually going to hurt you with the knife, but I guess I shouldn't have done it in the first place, it looked too real." Aki sighed, looking up at Natsu. "But, it was still awesome. Thanks for the great battle, Natsu!" she added, cheerful now. Natsu looked back at her and smiled too. Then he decided: he liked this girl. He took her hand, shook it, and something strange happened as Natsu got a little lost in her big, nice, smiling yet guarded eyes.

The entire guild felt closer to Aki…they felt… happy. Content with her. They all smiled, even Gajeel, at their new sister. Well, Gajeel gave a half-smile and a "Gee-hee." Either way, everyone knew it was going to be a fun day tomorrow.

* * *

Yay! Chapter's over. I feel like I did a bad job, though… Um, to clarify, the flames Natsu roared out were super-hot and made up of pure, hot frustration. So yes, Lucy was right when she said she would've been burnt to a crisp. Aki wasn't affected that much though, huh? Anyway, what do you guys think? Why is Lucy affected by Aki more than everyone else? What is this, the movie? Is Aki another Mest? Why is everyone familiar with her already? These questions WILL be answered…sometime later. In the meantime, I'll try to work on the next chapter and make it better. I still felt like this one was pretty lame. Bye!


	5. Chapter 4: Settling In

OOOOOKAYYYYY. I liked that chapter. Only a little bit. It was long, but I didn't despise it like the other ones.

I don't know if you guys did. But really, what was so bad?

Don't- just don't-answer that question.

Anyway, I'm sorry, school just started a while ago and I'm in every super-advanced class. It's finally Friday and I can write without having to worry about arithmetic and language essays tomorrow! Hooray!

It might be a while in between every update, though. I suggest you go read other stories, get out more, go out with friends, _get a life_ (Ha, just kidding. I'm a filthy hypocrite. But I do get out every so often.), and so on and so forth, then come back for more chapters. I'm really really sorry this took so long, and just a heads up, it will probably be a while before I update again…

(Eh, I'm REALLY not happy with this chapter…)

Chapter Four: Settling In

Enjoy.

(Let's be honest, you will. Oh, you're not? Why are you reading this then?

Got you there. Sucker.

Oh, you lost a bet and you're being forced to read this?

….Carry on, then.)

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or anything related to the anime/manga. But writing FanFics about it sure is fun, though!

Chapter Four: Settling In

As Natsu and Aki ended their handshake that they unknowingly brought everyone closer to Aki with, Mirajane came forward.

"Miss Aki, it seems you're eager to join Fairy Tail. But I think you've gone through quite enough today. So would you mind going to rest and getting your guild mark tomorrow?" she asked, smiling sweetly, remembering and repeating what the guild master had just told them.

"Sure, I don't mind. But you too, Mirajane-san? You're all too polite. Aki is fine, really," responded Aki, looking exasperated.

"Alright, Aki. We'll see you tomorrow."

Natsu saw Aki wearily walking away with Lucy. But then she suddenly turned back.

"Oh, and Natsu," she said, walking back towards him and fishing something out of her pocket. "You fought really well; using Lucy as an attack target worked to get me off of you, even if it was unintentional. I'd say we tied, for now. Here, go get some food anyways," she said, slipping some money into Natsu's hand. "I hope we can continue our fight in the future?"

Natsu smiled really widely then. "You bet."

And off Aki and Lucy went, both noticing how cute Natsu looked at that moment.

As they walked to her apartment, Lucy found herself glimpsing at Aki every now and then. Not only was she interested by this strange person who she knew nothing about, but she just invited her over to her house. Sure, she was family now, but Lucy still knew nothing about her. Maybe she'd find out more when they were at her house.

And then there was the thing Erza and Wendy had told her about.

When Aki and Natsu were shaking hands, Erza had leaned over and whispered, "Did you feel that?"

"I don't think so; what?" Lucy replied, confused.

"I felt it, Erza-san!" said Wendy excitedly.

"Felt what?" said Lucy, wondering what they were talking about.

"That…spark. I feel like I'm closer to Aki now, as if we're already best friends, or something," Erza whispered back. Wendy agreed.

_What_? Lucy thought confusedly. Why didn't she feel it? She felt a little hurt at thinking she didn't feel closer to Aki, then changed her mind after staring at Aki inconspicuously for a little. _No… I feel like… I didn't get the feeling I'm closer to her because I need to feel it on my own. _I_ need to create a friendship with her, not have a handshake do it for me_. Satisfied, Lucy had continued to wonder different things about Aki as they walked home.

Somehow, the topic of _why_ Aki's handshake had made them feel that way never came up.

And now here they were. But there was still so much Lucy was thinking about that was bothering her. _Again, why did she protect me? She doesn't know me! And what's her magic? How was she able to stand Natsu's magic and yet be affected by it when she protected me? Who is she? And why…do I feel so strange about her? _And so, Lucy went on talking inside her head just like she talks _outstide_ of her head, so much so that not even the author of this story can understand why she doesn't go insane.

"Do you invite strangers to your house often?" asked Aki, questioningly, looking at her.

"…Huh?"

"Strangers. I'm a total stranger to you. I know this could be hurting my chances of staying with you, but what do you really know about me besides my name? How do you even have anyway to confirm that?"

Lucy grinned. "Well, you're family now. And family protects and trusts each other, no matter what. Plus, you _did_ save my life, so it's the least I can do."

Aki, who was walking next to Lucy on the ledge, decided not to point out Lucy invited her before she joined Fairy Tail. Maybe she'd find out the real reason later. She was never one to pry. She learned that if you don't ask, but get them to trust, they'll tell you. The truth always finds a way to come out anyway.

"We're here!" Lucy stated, smiling contently at her apartment. Then she frowned as she realized today was the landlady's monthly check-up day.

. . .

"This is really cozy, you know. No matter what that wannabe Lucy-landlady says," Aki tried to console, drinking her tea on Lucy's table.

"I just don't get why she's like that. And it's not possible that moths could have eaten all of my clothes and conveniently let that outfit for her! It's not possible, I tell you!" Lucy hissed, almost spilling her tea.

"I know, I know, just don't be so mad. After all, those clothes probably wouldn't be stylish anymore anyway, not seven years later," Aki said.

Lucy sighed. "I guess that's true," she admitted. "But why does_ she_ have to wear them?"

Aki grinned. "She probably wants to feel young again,"

"Feel young again? Feel young again?! She's so old I don't even think she remembers what it is to be young," Lucy spat.

"Lucy, seriously, calm down."

"Sorry. It's just, she's always on me about paying my rent- I'm pretty sure she tells me to pay earlier than anyone else, by the way- when she knows I'm in a tight spot. It's not fair, I can hardly get enough when Natsu, Gray, Erza, and Wendy come along on a mission too. I mean, it's great having them and all, but whenever I try to sneak out on a job alone Natsu always finds me and insists to come. Sometimes he tries to come alone, but when he does that Gray tells him he should come in case he messes anyone up, Erza insists on coming because we're Fairy Tail's strongest team and because she needs to control those two, and Wendy's almost forced to come because everyone says it's good experience for her," Lucy says, not even the least bit winded after talking for so long and so quickly.

"Well then," Aki stated, suddenly grinning mischievously. "Guess you'll have to go on a mission with me."

Okay. So this was kind of a filler chapter, leading up to Aki saying that, and leaving you guys in suspense (I'm a jerk, I know, my parents tell me every day).

…Okay, I get it. I'm not that awesome at suspense! But…I have nothing else that's really interesting to leave you in suspense about, do I? I'm not that happy with this chapter though ….I'm trying to make the characters as much like themselves as possible- those are the reasons I made her talk so much. Oh yeah, I should warn you: in the other stories, you know how Natsu gets like, romantic? I want to make him more…well, Natsu Dragneel-ish in this story. So let's say for example I make Natsu and Lucy boyfriend and girlfriend or something and make them take a walk. Natsu isn't gonna say "My heart starts to flutter as I look at how beautiful Lucy is in the moonlight, and I reach out and grab her hand." NO. WAYYY. . He's gonna walk, thinking about food, his heart's going to flutter but he won't know what it means, and Lucy's going to be the one to hold his hand or chide him, "You know Natsu, whenever two people are dating, they hold hands." So, sorry to let you down, but I really dislike that when reading other stories. Oh, and by the way? The first 2014 ending theme? OH MY GOD, WHY?! It's so obvious they're going on a date! It's so obvious! But, why don't they show his face? Has anyone else noticed that?

I also happen to know (I hope) you're being Juvia right now and thinking, "_Love rival! How dare she also notice Natsu is cute?!"_ but trust me, I won't make it like that. Okay, well if this is popular later, I might, but that's not going to be the main NaLu problem. Anyway, I thought you guys that are reading this (about 4 or 5 of you) would like to know what Aki's magic is. I have a surprise for that to be revealed in the future. Also, apparently, Lucy uses the word "feel" a lot in her inner monologues. Good for her.

Thanks for reading!

…I'M STILL NOT THAT HAPPY WITH THIS CHAPTER!

I can at least promise, though, that the next chapter will be better and more interesting (I've already written it, just need to beta it, then stop time from moving so I can publish).

Just do me a favor, okay? Stick with me here. I know some of these chapters are going to be terrible, like this one was, and some of my author's notes are going to last three years, like this one did, but I SWEAR it'll get more interesting. I know I keep saying that, but these beginning chapters are kinda lame and boring even for me, but they're necessary to explain some things. So until the story actually DOES get more interesting, just bear with me, okay? Please? Then you can decide if my story's good enough to read or not. Thanks!


	6. Chapter 5: Why So?

Hiiiii! I'm back again! My last chapter was relatively short and knowing me the next time I update will be in October (Just kidding! But seriously, it might be a while before I update again). It's not that I'm having writer's block or anything; I have so many ideas. But work! SCHOOL! IT SUUUUUUCKS!

Have YOU tried getting up at 6 A.M. to go to school and coming back at 4:30 to do work, chores, then several essays and a million and one problems of math homework?! Seriously?

Doesn't leave you very much free time, I'm absolutely exhausted and I hope you guys can take that into consideration if you're mad at me. I can't remember the last time I had bags under my eyes as dark as the ones I'm sporting now.

But for now, let's relax and enjoy the story that I'm finally able to write (the weekend took forever to get here, huh?).

Chapter 5: Why So…?

"Ack! Nnn-ugh-agh -cough, cough, splutter-."

Thump. Thump.

"Hey… Are you okay?"

This, dear readers, was the sound of our dear Lucy dearly choking on her dear tea. And then Aki thumping her on the back and questioning Lucy's health, and inside her head, her sanity.

"Y-yeah…I'm fine, now, thanks."

"No problem."

"You…did you really mean that?"

"What? Going on a quest together? Sure. It'll be fun."

"But…Natsu…he's gonna smell me somehow…" whispered Lucy, a half-confused, half-scared look on her face. "It's impossible. We won't make it."

"It's okay, I have a plan already," said Aki, her eyes gleaming somewhat mysteriously. "Natsu's not gonna have a chance…yep…we are so doing that…hehehe, sorry Natsu."

Lucy looked warily at Aki. She doubted the plan would work, but then again, she was the only one who had ever stood up to Natsu without magic. Or at least, she thought, it didn't look like Aki was using magic to defend against Natsu's attack. Lucy shuddered just thinking how fearsome Aki would be with magic. Wait…if Erza, Gray, and Natsu can destroy a whole village with magic, and Aki went on a mission with them one day…and used magic… WHAT WOULD SHE DO?!

She sweatdropped soon after having this thought.

"Er…Lucy?"

Now, Lucy hit the floor. Hard. Quite painfully.

But let me soothe your fears.

The floor was unharmed.

"I…I'm sorry, I'm fine. I was just thinking…I'm really nervous about tomorrow."

"Why?" Aki grinned. "It'll be fun. But I think we should get ready for bed now," she continued, looking at the clock on Lucy's wall. "Don't want to be late for my first day."

"Huh?" Lucy mumbled, still in a little bit of a daze. "Oh…oh yeah! Right! Tomorrow you're officially joining Fairy Tail and getting your guild mark! How do you feel? You're gonna really be a part of our family then!" Lucy said, smiling widely.

"Yeah, I'm really excited," said Aki, her smile giving off rainbows and smiley faces.

"Great! Then, I'll go change in my room, and you can go change in the bathroom, if you want," replied Lucy, who was staring suspiciously at the rainbows. If they stained her pretty pink carpet she would have a fit. She walked off to her room, trying to clear her mind of the evil, gorgeous rainbows floating around her.

If she would've stayed just a second longer, she would've heard Aki mutter sadly, "I'll guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow then, Salamander. I…look forward to it."

. . .

Lucy woke up smiling. She wasn't sure why. Maybe she had a really nice dream? But she couldn't remember anything about it…

Then she remembered something.

Aki!

She yawned, and stretched, raising her hand above her head. Her hand brushed her face as she did so.

_I…what? Am I…crying? _Lucy stared at the tears smeared on her hand. She woke up smiling, feeling peaceful, and…crying? What? Maybe…she was crying from laughing too much. Yeah, that was it.

But somehow, she got the feeling she was crying for a much, much darker purpose.

. . .

"Okay…here we go." Aki swallowed and looked up at Fairy Tail. It suddenly seemed intimidating.

Lucy, who was holding Plue in her arms, noticed Aki's expression and smiled. "Nervous?"

"…Yeah."

"Don't be. I was too, but I learned that, once you get used to it, in a surprisingly quickly amount of time, it becomes fun. Natural, even. The guild becomes your home, the members become your family."

"Thanks."

"No problem."

And Aki opened the doors of Fairy Tail.

End of Chapter!

.

.

.

.

.

Ha! Just kidding (you _totally _fell for it, huh?)

"_QWERTYUIOPASDFGHJKLZXCVBNM!"_

That was the sound, of course, of everyone simultaneously roaring at Aki in Fairy Tail.

Some people tried to greet her.

Some just shouted her name.

Others tried to ask her out.

Erza screamed at the unlucky soul who had stepped on her cake.

And one other person, whose name shall not be mentioned (cough_Elfman_cough), screamed in pain as he got his compensation for disturbing a certain red-head's cake.

Aki smiled sheepishly, rubbing her head. "Uh, Lucy…"

"Don't worry, they won't hurt you. Probably," Lucy said, looking fearfully at Erza and not sounding too sure.

"Good morning Aki. I believe it's time for you to get your guild mark," said a sweet voice, and both girls turned to look at a smiling Mirajane, looking as pretty as ever in her dress of dark pink.

"Right…but, er, I have a quick question," Aki mumbled.

"Hai?"

"They're not gonna…hurt me, right?" Aki said, nodding at the other guild members who were eagerly watching her.

"Er, no, I don't think so. Besides, I'll just have to punish them if they do."

Lucy shivered, while, meanwhile, Macao and Wakaba and the others shamelessly stared at Mirajane and Aki with their eyes being replaced by big pink hearts.

"Now, come on, it's time for that guild mark,"

"Right!"

Lucy followed the two girls, wondering what color Aki's guild mark would be and where she would get it. Everyone else had the same question, too, and continued staring at Aki, though this time not in a perverted way.

"Which color, Aki?"

"Hmm… blue, green, maroon, purple, pink…let's see… blue, please!" Aki replied, pointing towards the stamp with a beautiful shade of blue on it.

"Sure! Where do you want it?"

Aki shrugged her red hair over her shoulder-

(A/N: I know, it was brown hair. It was SUPPOSED to be red, but my niece came over and while I was getting her something to eat she tried to troll me and changed it to brown. That's the only thing she changed. Weird, huh?

…She's seven! So what if it's not the best troll ever? At least she tried!)

-and considered.

"Riiiight here," she said, pointing to her shoulder. She knew Natsu had it there too, but hey, she thought it looked awesome and would've gotten it there either way.

The whole guild clapped and cheered.

"Welcome to the guild, Aki!"

Aki smiled, and everyone could see a few tears in her eyes. "Thanks, guys."

Lucy smiled warmly at Aki. Today was going to be a fun day.

Speaking of "fun" (depending on your definition), where was Natsu?

"AKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"

Well, looks like that question was answered.

Sorry! I was going to include wayyy more but something came up-

SUPER NALU EMERGENCY!

So, I'm a fangirl. I get it. A lot of people call me a tomboy, but I do occasionally have me o-m-f-g-he-called-her-cute moments. I even have my squealing-so-loud-and-long-I-forgot-to-breathe moments. So, sorry I had to cut the chapter short, but OH MY GOSH!

I put my routine of homework and work on the line just to give this to you guys!

Alright. I was online the other day, and somehow I got onto a Nalu website…? Anyway, I don't remember much, just that, remember when Lucy gets entranced by Bora in the first episode? And Natsu TOTALLY interrupts (XD)? Yeah? Well, apparently it was mentioned in a later chapter in the manga that the charm Bora had placed on her could only be broken by like, true love, or someone you love more, or something like that. Like… only the person you loved could break it? I can't remember, it was something similar but I DO remember a feeling of such triumph that IT TOTALLY PROVED THAT THEY WERE IN LOVE! WOOOOOOOOOOOO-HOOOOOOOOO! Or, at least, that Lucy loved him. SAME DIFFERENCE! Next, the episode. The godforsaken (excuse my language, stupid episode. My trusted, reliable, and well-connected sources contact me as soon as they possibly can when something NaLu happens. They told me that, remember the episode where Natsu kept saying, "I'm looking for her, I want to see her," or something like that? When Lucy thought he was going to ask her out and have 30 kids? Yep. THAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN. He was looking for Lucy, wanting to ask her out. Lucy was going to be nonchalant and be like, "What's up, Natsu?" However, Hiro Mashima decided not to put it in there, because, of all things, there were too many. FREAKING. NALI. FANS. OF. FREAKING. COURSE. (S'cuse my language, once again, I'm just really upset.)

*Receiving news*

Me: WHAT? WAIT. WHAT?!"

Sources nod gravely.

Me: *Starts seeing red* OH. MY GOD.

Sources: Gasp! You NEVER say God.

Me: (very cool and calm and collected, of course) HOW THE FREAK CAN I NOT?! (Mentally sobbing inside and cursing all Nali fans)

Sources nod understandingly.

Me: NALI FANS CAN GO SUCK IT!

Sources: Start edging away in fear.

Anyway, now that I've controlled my breathing again, there's more. A little birdie told me that Hiro Mashima said Natsu and Lucy were to have a baby. Whether this was confirmed, I believe not, but it still brings a spark of hope to me, although my mind is intent on doubting it.

And finally, the best for last: the decision.

As soon as it happened, my sources went all fangirl and almost died telling me. My most trusted source, you fortunately reads Japanese, read on Hiro Mashima's blog (or something like that, I think it was his blog), that he was going to make NATSU AND LUCY GO OUT. As you guys should already know, the only reason Lisanna came back to life was because the director or producer liked her so much, If it were up to Mashima, she'd still be dead (sigh).My source states that half of Mashima's staff is yes, Lucy and Natsu sitting in a tree, and the other half is made up of greedy JERKS who say no, I want money and Nali fans will stop watching and buying merch if we do this. At least, I'm guessing those are the reasons. Obviously, Mashima is on Nalu's side, so we can only hope he sticks with us and convinces everyone for the better.

Now, one more piece of information concerning what I just wrote to you.

If you want to live in happiness and in the hope that Natsu and Lucy get together soon, you shouldn't read this next part. Don't worry, it's not a No, it definitely won't happen, it's just a… well, I don't know how to explain it without giving it away. Close your eyes after reading this next sentence, please.

There's actually an episode designated for the getting-together of Natsu and Lucy.

(For Pete's sake, stop reading now, I beg of you.)

Which episode? Why, 300, of course. My other helpful sources calculated the rate at which the episodes are being released at now, and figured…

It'll take three years for them to get together. And I'm not being sarcastic. I believe the number was around 1400 days…?

I still don't think it's possible. It can't be possible! For the first time in my life, I wish my source was wrong! But…she hasn't led me astray yet.

When I found out, my brain shut down. I was like, "But… we're barely on episode…" and my happy helpful sources replied, "20." And then I legitimately started whimpering. Out of nowhere. I DO NOT. WHIMPER. DANG IT.

I'm sorry, but I figured you guys should know. Keep supporting Fairy Tail, boycott EVERYTHING LISANNA, and keep hoping with me, you guys. Thanks.

For the other half of Mashima's staff to agree to NaLu!

For Mashima making the episode happen earlier!

For NaLu!

Amen.

Anyway, I hope you guys read at least the last paragraph in last chapter's note. If you didn't, to summarize, I said I know these first few chapters are going to be bad, but just please stick with me and I SWEAR it'll get better, okay? Thanks. I know I keep saying that, but this time I mean it with all my heart.

Also, a shoutout to YourLocalWriter15: Thanks for the support! I went on your account and read your story, it was amazing! Keep it going, please!

Thanks for reading!


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